Fear on the Phantom Special Read online

  ‘I don’t have the strength, sir.’

  ‘Yes, you do.’

  ‘Why did I let myself get dragged out here?’

  ‘You ought to be glad you came. We’ve just made an important discovery.’

  ‘Yes – our feet will be very sore in the morning.’

  ‘No, Victor. We are making progress.’

  ‘That’s not what I’d call it,’ grumbled the other.

  ‘Somebody is worried,’ said Colbeck. ‘They’re afraid that we’ll find what they wish to keep hidden away. In stealing our means of transport, they’ve just confirmed that we’re on the right track. Doesn’t that encourage you?’

  Darkness hid the expression on Leeming’s face.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  Since the disappearance of her son, Emma Piper had enjoyed only fitful sleep. Unable to rest during the day, she was tormented at night by fears that she and her husband had somehow failed Alexander. They should have made greater efforts to heal the breach. It was distressing to recall that the only news they had of what Alexander was doing was contained in letters from her brother. During what was a critical time in his life, they’d not even set eyes on him.

  Rodney Piper was even more tortured by regret than his wife, but he somehow managed to fall asleep at night. Sheer fatigue eventually overwhelmed Emma and she drifted off beside him. It was not long before she was in the grip of one of her nightmares, tossing and turning endlessly as if trying to escape from someone. Without warning, she came suddenly awake and realised how cold she was. Emma also noticed that her husband was no longer there. That alarmed her.

  Dragging herself slowly to her feet, she felt for her slippers, put them on and reached for her dressing gown. Emma padded out of the bedroom and down the stairs, one hand on the banister to support her. She knew instinctively where she’d find him. When she went into the drawing room, she could see his outline. Lost in prayer, he was kneeling on the hearthrug in front of the crucifix on the wall above the mantelpiece. He was reciting prayers that she couldn’t hear properly.

  Emma waited until his voice died away and then spoke.

  ‘Come back to bed, Rodney.’

  ‘My place is here.’

  ‘You can pray just as well upstairs.’

  ‘No, I can’t, Emma. It has to be here.’

  ‘We both need our sleep. Stop punishing yourself.’

  ‘It’s no more than I deserve,’ he admitted. ‘I failed Alexander as a father and as a spiritual guide. I must repent.’

  ‘We weren’t to know that this would happen.’

  ‘God has given us a sign.’

  ‘Please, Rodney,’ she said, taking him by the elbow. ‘Let me help you up. It’s cold down here and you’ve only got that nightshirt on. You’re not in the best of health. Don’t make the situation worse.’

  ‘I’ll do what I have to, Emma,’ he said, pulling gently away from her. ‘I’m grateful that you came down for me, but my place is here at the moment.’

  ‘Then so is mine.’

  Lowering herself down, she knelt beside him and winced at the pain in her knees and her hips. They remained there together, eyes closed, hands clasped, lips moving and words floating up to heaven in the gloom.

  Colbeck had suggested an alternative. Instead of a long, testing walk back to Kendal, they could make the much shorter journey to Birthwaite Station and curl up there until the first train arrived in the morning. Leeming rejected the idea. Since the station would be closed, the best it could offer was a wooden bench exposed to the elements. If they kept on the move, he argued, they’d at least be relatively warm. They set off at a brisk pace.

  ‘What will happen on Bonfire Night?’ asked Colbeck.

  ‘Everybody will enjoy it but us.’

  ‘I was thinking of your family. I know that you planned to have a fire for the boys.’

  ‘Oh, they’ll still have that,’ said Leeming, ‘but it will be lit by their uncle instead of by me. Detective work is not for a man with a family.’

  ‘You sound like the superintendent.’

  ‘Left to him, we’d be on duty all day.’

  ‘Madeleine would never stand for that and nor would Estelle. They do like an occasional glimpse of their husbands.’

  Leeming grimaced. ‘Chance would be a fine thing.’

  Scrunching their way along in the dark, they felt completely alone. They heard occasional sounds of animals in the undergrowth and saw some low-flying birds from time to time but otherwise they were totally isolated. While Colbeck found that stimulating, Leeming was fearful.

  ‘Are you sure that this is the right way?’ he asked.

  ‘It’s the road we came on, Victor. It runs parallel with the railway for the bulk of the journey.’

  ‘Who stole our horse and cart?’

  ‘Think of our suspects and take your pick.’

  ‘It wasn’t Norm Tiller. I’m sure of that. He’ll be at home in bed with his wife. This is far too mean a trick for him.’

  ‘What about the doctor?’

  ‘He’s mean enough but how could he possibly know that we’d be coming out here this late?’

  ‘That’s a crucial point. Walter Vine wouldn’t have been aware of our travel plans either and, with his arm in a sling, I doubt if he’d relish being driven along this bumpy track.’

  ‘That brings us to Hedley, though I’d disregard him.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘On a night like this,’ said Leeming, ‘he’ll be gazing up at Miss Treadgold’s window. Hedley is the sort of man who might actually like Tiller’s poetry, whereas Piper hated it so much he had to mock the man who wrote it. That shows the difference between the two friends. When Piper had an impulse, he did something about it.’

  ‘Hedley, on the other hand, is too repressed to follow suit. And yet he’s the one person who knew that we’d come to Hither Wood at some point because I mentioned it to him. Has he been watching us to see when we’d make our move?’

  ‘Lawyers are supposed to keep on the right side of the law, sir.’

  ‘There are exceptions to the rule. So,’ said Colbeck, ‘none of our four suspects will have trailed us in person, but they could have hired someone else to follow us. They might even have installed someone at the hotel who dined within earshot of us earlier this evening.’

  Leeming snapped his fingers. ‘That’s what must have happened. We’ve been spied on.’

  ‘It was only a suggestion.’

  ‘Maybe, but it has the ring of truth. All we have to work out is who is paying the spy.’

  ‘I’d love to know, Victor.’

  As they strolled on, they discussed each of their suspects in turn again and got so embroiled in their discussion that they forgot all about their aching limbs and the distance they still had to go. They might have been out for a bracing walk along a promenade. Shapes were deceptive in the dark but, when they came round a slight bend in the road, they both saw something ahead of them that looked vaguely familiar. Before they could confer, they heard a loud neigh and knew at once that they’d found their horse and cart.

  Leeming ran quickly towards the animal and grabbed its bridle before it could run away. Colbeck came over and patted the horse gratefully. They could now ride back to the hotel.

  ‘It must have escaped outside the wood,’ said Leeming, ‘and made its way here.’

  ‘I disagree.’

  ‘How else could it have got here?’

  ‘It’s a clever animal but I don’t believe that it could untie itself from one bush, walk here, then tether itself to another.’ He indicated the reins securely tied to a bush. ‘Somebody else brought him here.’

  ‘We’ve got him back. That’s the only thing I care about.’

  ‘Then you should be more alert.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Haven’t you noticed where we are?’ asked Colbeck with a sweeping gesture. ‘We’re at the exact spot where that fire was lit to stop the train. You can still see the embers.’r />
  ‘Oh, yes, I recognise it now. We stopped here earlier.’

  ‘And what happened?’

  ‘I had a fit of the shivers,’ recalled Leeming. ‘I thought we were being watched.’

  ‘Do you have that same feeling now?’

  ‘No, I don’t.’

  ‘Neither do I.’

  ‘What’s going on, sir? It’s uncanny. Is someone playing games with us?’

  ‘Oh, it’s a lot more serious than that, Victor.’

  ‘Why steal our horse and cart then give it back?’

  ‘We were given a warning to stay well clear of that wood.’

  ‘What happens if we ignore the warning?’

  ‘It will be interesting to find out.’

  They got into the cart and set off. Leeming wanted to get back to the hotel as fast as possible but Colbeck limited the horse to a steady trot. He didn’t wish to push an already tired animal too hard and, at a slower speed, he’d have more chance of avoiding potholes that suddenly appeared in front of them. They were soon discussing their suspects once again, trying to decide which one of them had organised the theft of their cart.

  As they passed a stand of trees, they were too preoccupied to notice that someone was crouched beside them. When the cart had rattled past, the man stood up, waited for several minutes then ran slowly along in their wake.

  Though it was a bleak day, Caroline Treadgold forced herself to get up early, consume a hasty breakfast then be driven to the point where the search teams were gathering. To her dismay, she saw that they were being dispersed by Geoffrey Hedley. She got quickly out of the vehicle. Quivering with indignation, she rushed up to him.

  ‘What’s going on?’ she demanded.

  ‘The search is being abandoned.’

  ‘You can’t just stop looking for Alex.’

  ‘Lord Culverhouse decided that it’s a futile exercise.’

  ‘But he was the one who insisted on it,’ she said. ‘His nephew is out there somewhere. I can’t believe that he’s lost interest in finding him.’

  ‘That’s not what happened, Caroline.’

  ‘Then what did? I insist on knowing.’

  After calming her down, Hedley told her how the decision was made, stressing that he disagreed with it but had to accept what Lord Culverhouse had decreed. From now on, it would be left to the detectives to find out what had happened to the missing man. Caroline was not appeased.

  ‘We have to continue,’ she said, ‘if only as a gesture.’

  ‘It’s a rather forlorn one, I’m afraid.’

  ‘I couldn’t forgive myself if I just gave up. And neither could you, Geoffrey. You used to hang on Alex’s every word. Have you forgotten that?’

  ‘No, of course I haven’t.’

  ‘Then show some loyalty to him.’

  Hedley was stung. ‘Nobody can doubt my loyalty, Caroline,’ he said, hotly. ‘My friendship with Alex meant everything to me. If it were my decision to make, I’d be out there day after day leading a search party. It would at least give me the feeling that I was doing something.’ He took a deep breath then recovered his composure. ‘I do apologise. I just found your comment monstrously unfair.’

  ‘Then the apology should come from me, Geoffrey,’ she said, quietly. ‘Alex relied on you for everything. I’m sorry that I forgot that.’ There was an awkward pause. ‘What was it that attracted him to Melissa Haslam?’ she resumed. ‘Is she more beautiful than me? Is she more intelligent, more interesting?’

  ‘In my opinion, she’s none of those things.’

  ‘Then however did that woman come to replace me?’

  ‘In fairness to Miss Haslam,’ he said, ‘I should point out that she was unaware that she was replacing anybody. She had no knowledge of the relationship between the two of you. Had she done so … well, things would have been rather different.’

  ‘In short, Alex pretended that I never existed.’

  ‘That’s not true, Caroline. He often expressed regret about the way he’d treated you.’

  ‘Why didn’t he tell me directly?’

  ‘That was his way, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Did you condone it?’

  ‘No,’ he said with feeling. ‘I thought he treated you rather shabbily and I told him so. Yet he still had feelings for you. Did you know that he once fought a duel on your behalf?’

  ‘A duel!’ she cried. ‘Alex might have been killed or, at the very least, arrested. When was this?’

  ‘A week or so ago – someone taunted him by making derogatory remarks about you. Alex challenged him at once. I acted as his second. Vine slunk off home with his arm almost sliced off.’

  ‘I thought it might have been Walter Vine. The moment that Alex and I … parted company, Walter began chasing me in earnest. I had a great difficulty in shaking him off. He took the rejection badly.’

  ‘That’s why he was insulting you, Caroline.’

  ‘And Alex took him on?’

  ‘He said that it was a matter of honour.’

  Caroline was partially mollified. The information had shown her that he’d still cared deeply for her and was ready to risk serious injury – if not worse – to defend her name. She knew Vine well enough to be aware of his character.

  ‘He could be behind Alex’s disappearance,’ she claimed.

  ‘I did mention his name to Sergeant Leeming.’

  ‘Did you tell him about the duel?’

  ‘No, I didn’t.’

  ‘Then I think that perhaps you should. It’s an important factor. Walter Vine hates a defeat of any kind. Since he was humiliated by Alex, he’ll have wanted revenge.’

  ‘I’m sure that Inspector Colbeck will realise that when he discovers that the duel took place.’

  Hearing about Vine’s unexpected visit to the Riverside Hotel, Colbeck’s curiosity had been aroused. That morning, therefore, he set off to speak to the man himself. He was given a rather offhand welcome.

  ‘I’ve already spoken to the sergeant,’ said Vine, flicking a dismissive hand, ‘so there’s no need to bother me any further. Besides, I have an appointment with my doctor very soon.’

  ‘I won’t keep you long, sir.’

  ‘You won’t be allowed to, believe me.’

  ‘I must say, Mr Vine, that I find your attitude difficult to comprehend,’ said Colbeck. ‘A man has disappeared and there’s a likelihood that he’s come to serious harm. I would have thought it was common decency to lend your help to a police investigation.’

  ‘If it was anybody but Alex Piper, I’d be glad to assist you. Since it happens to be him, I have no interest in the case.’

  ‘Why is that?’

  ‘Speak to that sergeant of yours. He’ll tell you.’

  ‘I’d rather you did that, sir.’

  ‘This is starting to get rather boring,’ said Vine with studied disdain. ‘I bid you good day, Inspector.’

  ‘Would you rather we had this conversation at the police station? That’s where this will end if you don’t start to cooperate with me.’ He looked Vine in the eye. ‘Well?’

  The other man glared at him but Colbeck didn’t flinch. He remained cool and watchful. In the end, Vine backed down.

  ‘Oh, very well,’ he said, pretending to yawn. ‘I’ll humour you, if I must.’

  ‘Why are you so hostile to Mr Piper?’

  ‘I loathe the man.’

  ‘That wasn’t always the case, was it?’

  ‘Have you never fallen out with an old friend, Inspector? It happens to all of us. Relationships fade with time. Qualities I once admired in Alex slowly disappeared and were replaced by altogether nastier traits.’

  ‘How did he feel about you?’

  Vine tensed. ‘I beg your pardon?’

  ‘Did Mr Piper start to find you wanting?’

  ‘What is this?’ protested the other. ‘Are you interrogating me or planning to write my biography?’

  ‘I’m simply gathering information.’

  ‘Well, I
object to the way that you’re doing it. Be more respectful or I’ll be in touch with your superior to get you reprimanded.’

  ‘That’s highly unlikely,’ said Colbeck, easily. ‘You’ll find that I have the complete backing of Scotland Yard and that all you’ll get is confirmation of that. My superior takes a poor view of people who dare to threaten his officers as you’ve just done.’

  Vine was apoplectic. ‘Who the devil do you think you’re talking to?’ he howled. ‘It might interest you to know that I’m a person of standing in this town.’

  ‘I’ve arrested lords, ladies and Members of Parliament in my time, sir. Criminals come from every class of society.’

  ‘Are you daring to call me a criminal?’

  ‘If you took part in an illegal duel – as I suspect you might have done – then you are a criminal and liable to arrest.’

  Vine was instantly silenced. Turning away, he walked to the other side of the room and made an effort to control his temper before swinging round on his heel. About to issue a stout denial, he thought better of it when he saw the determined look on Colbeck’s face. Clearly, his visitor could not be browbeaten. Vine tried to sound reasonable.

  ‘We seem to have got off on the wrong foot,’ he said, ‘and I take my share of the blame for that. As for my injury, it was the result of a nasty accident in the stable and no concern of yours. The simple fact remains that I am not connected in any way whatsoever with Alex’s disappearance, though I’m honest enough to admit that I hope it’s a permanent one.’

  ‘That’s a very brutal standpoint.’

  ‘It’s nevertheless the one that I choose to take.’

  ‘What exactly did Mr Piper do to upset you so much?’

  ‘That’s a private matter.’

  ‘Not if it has a bearing on this investigation. I need every scrap of information that I can gather regarding the missing man. That being the case,’ Colbeck emphasised, ‘privacy doesn’t exist. So let me rephrase my question. Did your differences with Mr Piper arise out of the fact that you each had an interest in a certain lady?’

  Vine looked hunted.